Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Haji Hidayatullah apologised on Monday for passing disrespectful remarks against Quaid-i-Azam in the upper house of parliament.

The incident happened when PML-N Senator Asif Kirmani was speaking on the floor of the House. In his speech, Kirmani highlighted recent incidents which had claimed the lives of citizens including the bus crash in Lasbela, the drownings at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tanda Dam lake and today’s blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We don’t have words. Our tears have run dry. The terrorism that was stamped out in 2018 is rearing its head again,” he said. “I feel that Allah is unhappy with us. He has taken away His blessings and filled our hearts with restlessness”.

Senator Kirmani then talked about the founder of the nation.

“Let me tell you something about the great Quaid-i-Azam briefly. When Pakistan was coming into being and the national and provincial elections took place in 1945-46, the All India Muslim League won, and an interim government was made during which Liaqat Ali Khan was made the finance minister. Now, this was the time when Quaid’s health had begun to deteriorate between 1945-46 […].”

However, Senator Hidayatullah interjected at this moment and pointed to the portrait hanging above Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, saying, “Quaid-i-Azam is to be blamed for everything.”

“Talk about the Peshawar tragedy,” he told Kirmani. “Forget Quaid-i-Azam.”

A visibly perturbed Kirmani lambasted Hidyatullah for his interjection, saying that “insolence in honour of Quaid-i-Azam will not be tolerated at any cost”.

“You belong to the province that sided with Jinnah during the referendum,” Kirmani told Hidyatullah. “You should at least listen,” he said as the two exchanged harsh words.

Other senators protested against the remarks passed by Hidayatullah, gathering in front of the speaker’s dias. They asked the Senate chairman to expunge the remarks passed by Hidayatullah.

At this, Sanjrani said the ANP senator’s mic wasn’t on while he spoke.

PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz also condemned what Hidayatullah said. “Such words about Quaid-i-Azam should never be uttered.”

In his defence, the ANP senator said that he was pointing to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and not Quaid-i-Azam’s portrait.

“I respect Quaid-i-Azam from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “God willing everyone gets a leader like him.”

When it was his turn to speak, the ANP senator again tendered an apology to the whole house.